Thetford Mines Pirates
Minor league affiliations
ClassDouble-A
Previous leagues
Eastern League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 1 (1974)
Team data
Previous names
  • Thetford Mines Pirates (1974)
  • Thetford Mines Miners (1975)
Previous parks
le Stade Bellevue

The Thetford Mines Pirates and the Thetford Mines Miners (French: les Pirates (Mineurs) de Thetford Mines) were the names of a Canadian minor league baseball franchise that represented Thetford Mines, Quebec, in the Double-A Eastern League in 1974–75. The club played at le Stade Bellevue.[1]

After two winning but non-playoff teams as the Sherbrooke Pirates, the team moved to Thetford Mines, located 104 km (65 miles) to the north, for the 1974 season as an affiliate of the namesake Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Led by league All-Star catcher and Most Valuable Player Ken Macha, the future MLB manager, Thetford Mines made the playoffs and defeated the Bristol Red Sox in the semi-finals and the Pittsfield Rangers in the finals to win the Eastern League championship. But the club drew almost 50,000 fans less than they had in Sherbrooke during the 1973 season.[2] As a result, the MLB Pirates switched their Double-A affiliate to the Shreveport Captains of the Double-A Texas League for 1975.

They were replaced in Thetford Mines by the Milwaukee Brewers for 1975. But the renamed "Miners" finished in seventh place, 22½ games out of a playoff spot, and drew only 16,000 fans all year.[2] The franchise was moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for 1976.

Season-by-season

Year Record Finish Attendance Manager Playoffs
197475–65Second
(National Div.)		22,516Tim MurtaughWon Semi-Finals vs. Bristol Red Sox, 2-0
Won Championship vs. Pittsfield Rangers, 2-0
197559–80Seventh16,360John Felske

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Digital Ballparks.com
  2. 1 2 Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, NC: Baseball America, 2007, pp. 566, 570
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